Xenopus longipes
Taxonomy [top]
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | AMPHIBIA | ANURA | PIPIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Xenopus longipes | |||
| Species Authority: | Loumont and Kobel, 1991 | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Taxonomic Notes: | Uniquely among vertebrates (except Xenopus ruwenzoriensis), this is a dodecaploid species, and it is therefore of considerable conservation interest. It was probably formed by both hybridization and polyploidization (Loumont and Kobel 1991). | |||
Assessment Information [top]
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Critically Endangered B1ab(v)+2ab(v) ver 3.1 |
| Year Published: | 2004 |
| Assessor/s: | Richard Tinsley, John Measey |
| Reviewer/s: | Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson and Neil Cox) |
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Justification: Listed as Critically Endangered because its Extent of Occurrence is less than 100 km2 and its Area Of Occupancy is less than 10km2, all individuals are in a single location, and there is a projected decline in the number of mature individuals, due to the high likelihood of a fish introduction into Lake Oku. |
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Geographic Range [top]
| Range Description: | This species is endemic to Lake Oku at 2,200m asl on Mount Oku, western Cameroon. It might occur elsewhere in the Cameroon highlands, but there are few lakes with ecological characteristics similar to Lake Oku. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Cameroon
|
| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
Population [top]
| Population: | It is abundant in Lake Oku. |
| Population Trend: |
Stable
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Habitat and Ecology [top]
| Habitat and Ecology: | Lake Oku is a shallow, eutrophic lake completely surrounded by montane rainforest. This species is entirely water-dependent, quite inept on land, and is the main aquatic vertebrate in the lake, filling the ecological niche of a fish. |
| Systems: | Freshwater |
Threats [top]
| Major Threat(s): | The main threat to this species would appear to be the risk of introduction of a predatory fish species into Lake Oku, which could wipe out this restricted-range species. Such a scenario is highly plausible given the high protein demands of surrounding communities. |
Conservation Actions [top]
| Conservation Actions: | A conservation project has been conducted on Mount Oku for several years by BirdLife International, involving community management of the area involving the local villages. This project needs to take into account the conservation needs of this species. A captive-breeding programme should be considered in view of the risk of a catastrophic collapse of the population if a predatory fish species is introduced to the lake. |
Bibliography [top]
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1996. The Biology of Xenopus. Zoological Society of London, Clarendon Press, London. Gartshore, M.E. 1986. The status of the montane herpetofauna of the Cameroon highlands. In: Stuart, S.N. (ed.), Conservation of Cameroon Montane Forests, pp. 204-240. International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, U.K. IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004. Kobel, H.R., Barundun, B. and Thiebaud, C.H. 1998. Mitochondrial rDNA phylogeny in Xenopus. Herpetological Journal: 13-17. Loumont, C. and Kobel, H.R. 1991. Xenopus longipes sp. nov., a new polyploid pipid from western Cameroon. Revue Suisse de Zoologie: 731-738. |
| Citation: | Richard Tinsley, John Measey 2004. Xenopus longipes. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2012. |
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